1. The trip

My hand gripped a tight hold of the letter which I had been given today, a school trip! I ran home, sloshing through muddy puddles as I did so. My heart raced and my breathe was beginning to lose it's battle. I stood hunched over for a minute or two, catching back my breathe, and then without further hesitation, carried on to run. My legs moved faster than a car as I challenged myself to the vehicles which drove along side me.

I flung open the old oak door, creating a huge thud which startled everyone in the house. My mother saw my excited face and beamed, "Whatever is the matter love?"

I jumped up and down in such joy, and she could see I had something important to say, "School! School! School, have organised a trip, a trip to Hogwarts, that place you see on TV so much!" I coughed, still tired from the long run.

My mother smiled at me, her eyes squinting from the light which hung on the living room ceiling, "and how much will that cost us, will we have to remortgage our house?" she laughed, my father joined in too.

"Not a single penny, you see that's why i'm so excited, all you need to do is sign this slip and i'll..."

She interrupted me, "Not any cost at all?"

"Well, maybe for spending money, but that's all!" I sat down beside her, trying to calm myself from my excitement.

She looked at me and grinned, "Well, okay then sweetheart, hand us that letter of yours." She took hold of my letter as I clapped. This was it, I was going to the one and only Hogwarts! I watched as she carefully wrote my name in block capitals, PHOEBE PORTS. I hovered over her and she laughed, "Space please!"

I walked over to my father who laughed at me, "Come here silly!" He picked me up and flew me around the room.

"Dad, dad! You do realise that i'm nearly 15?" I giggled as he put me down.

"Yes, but you're still a kid you know, and you love it anyway." He was right, I did love it. We were both so childish, and I always would be, just like my father.

"There you go sunshine, my mother walked over to us and handed me my letter, confirming my allowance on the trip. I hugged them both tightly and ran off upstairs to put the letter inside my bag, tripping over a few of the steps in my excited state which I was currently in. I was going to Hogwarts, Hogwarts!